1. Field of the Invention
The present specification is generally directed to a digital verified identification system and method having at least one digital identification module structured to be embedded or otherwise disposed within one or more electronic files.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, contracts, letters, messages, notes, and/or other hard copies of papers or documents may be physically signed, for example, with a pen or other writing utensil, by one or more entities to identify the provenance of the document and/or otherwise associate the document with the respective entity. In addition, often times a notary public or other witness is used or required assist in the verification or authentication of the identity of the signatory of the document. With the advent of computers and the proliferation of the World Wide Web, however, many people and/or entities tend to conduct business or otherwise communicate electronically. As a result, various methods of associating an electronic file or document with one or more entities, or otherwise including electronic signatures on the electronic file or document, have been developed. For example, at least one common method of electronically signing a document includes placing a forward or backward slash prior to and/or following the signatory's typed name. Accordingly, an individual named John Doe might electronically sign a document by placing “/John Doe/” on a signature line that is typically at or near the end of the document. These various electronic signatures or identifiers, however, are rather difficult to authenticate, and as such, it has become an arduous, if not impossible task to verify and/or authenticate the identity of the signatory to a respectable degree.
Accordingly, there is a current need in the art for a digital verified identification system structured to facilitate authenticating and/or verifying the identity of an electronic signatory to a file and/or otherwise structured to associate an electronic file with one or more entities. As such, it would be beneficial to provide a system having one or more digital identification modules structured to be embedded or otherwise disposed within at least one electronic file or document. In particular, it would be advantageous if the digital identification module is created or otherwise generated by a module generating assembly utilizing at least one verification data element corresponding to the one or more entities, such as, for example, a signatory of the electronic file.
It addition, it would be particularly beneficial to provide a digital verified identification system wherein the one or more digital identification modules include at least one primary component and at least one metadata component having, for example, various identifying information and/or reference codes and/or numbers. In particular, the primary component may include the signature or other identifying indicia of the respective signatory. Additionally, the metadata component(s) may include, for example, a module or entity reference code and/or number, the signatory's name, the date/time, or other data corresponding to the signatory and/or the signatory's digital identification module.